Manly praise Anthony Watmough for playing on
2:03

Manly forward Anthony Watmough has been praised by teammates for his decision to play on despite a torn bicep, with Kieran Foran describing him as 'one of the toughest players in the game.'

Fox Sports

04 Jun 2014

Sport/NRL/Previews & Reviews

Anthony Watmough is set to play against the Bulldogs with a torn bicep.Source: News Corp Australia

KIERAN Foran is a laid-back bloke. He has seen a lot in rugby league, won premierships, captained his country. Not much shocks him.

Foran, though, freely admits to being “mesmerised” by the courage and determination of Manly teammate Anthony Watmough, who is poised to play in Friday night’s blockbuster against Canterbury at Brookvale Oval with a bicep torn off the bone.

Watmough sustained the injury during NSW’s 12-8 Origin I victory.

Kieran Foran has expressed his admiration at Anthony Watmough playing on with an injury.Source: News Corp Australia

“I can’t rap the bloke enough. In my eyes he is just so tough,” Foran said. “You might not see it from an outside point of view, but when we saw the sort of pain he walks in with at half-time, or the sort of pain he walks in with at fulltime, and he continues to pick himself up and put in those 80-minute performances week-in, week-out, you are just kind of mesmerised by the guy’s toughness.

“I know I am. I know it inspires me. I know it inspires the young forwards that want to build on the culture that guys like him and Jason King and Brent Kite built.

“When you have a bloke like ‘Choc’, and he will show it again on Friday when he takes the field with a torn bicep, that’s what I mean.

“He is continually setting the standards, saying to blokes, ‘well if I am going to get out here with a torn bicep and put my body on the line, let’s all do it’.

“I think that sums up the sort of leader he is, the sort of clubman he is. I think it speaks volumes.”

Watmough holds his injured arm during game one.Source: Getty Images

While Watmough will play, it is unlikely injured halfback Daly Cherry-Evans will confront a Canterbury side featuring Blues Origin halves Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson and coached by former Sea Eagles favourite son Des Hasler.

On the back of last Sunday’s 26-point loss to Brisbane, the Bulldogs clash comes amid increasing speculation of player unrest at Brookvale that has lingered ever since it was ­revealed salary cap pressures would force Glenn Stewart out and off to South Sydney at season’s end. Although, leading players were reluctant to discuss the rumours.

“I’ve said it all along, in my eyes there is a great culture here and it’s something that can never be broken.

“I think the Glenn Stewart thing could have been handled better and I said that from the start. I’ve said it all along, I think the bloke deserved a contract put in front of him for all that he has done for the joint.”

Daley Mail: Manly Sea Eagles v Canterbury Bulldogs
2:21

WHILE Anthony Watmough’s torn bicep will not get any worse by playing, the Manly forward will still face a difficult and painful task against Canterbury on Friday night at Brookvale Oval.

“He will look a bit like Popeye,” one doctor said told The Daily Telegraph. “There will be a big bulge in his arm.”

It is understood Watmough won’t require a painkilling injection before the game but may opt for some heavy strapping.

Watmough was moving well during Manly training.Source: News Corp Australia

The NSW Origin forward has been carrying a partial tear all season, but he completely detached the biceps tendon from the bone during the Blues’ game-one victory over Queensland eight days ago.

While it sounds like an injury that would result in a prolonged period on the sidelines, other arm muscles can substitute for the injured tendon. It may cause Watmough to lose some strength in his arm, but many people can still have with a full range of motion and reasonable function.

Surgery isn’t always needed, but for athletes and labourers — who commonly suffer the same injury due to constantly lifting heavy objects — they often need complete recovery of strength which requires surgery.

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